107-545: The Solow Building , also known as 9 West 57th Street , is a skyscraper in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City . Completed in 1974 and designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill , it is west of Fifth Avenue between 57th and 58th Streets, overlooking the Plaza Hotel and Central Park . The building measures 689 feet (210 m) tall with 50 stories. 9 West 57th Street
214-445: A 800,000-square-foot (74,000 m), 45-story building on the site. The LDS Church planned to take up four stories in the building. Solow's tower was planned to contain a wide base and curving facades, which tapered at higher stories. The lots at 36–40 West 58th Street were separated from the rest of the site by a parking lot, so Solow planned a 13-story, 225-space garage on these lots. The original design would have contained balconies on
321-495: A book about SOM's work, wrote that the controversy over the Solow Building was largely "because it does not rise straight up from the street (as architects have taught everyone to expect)". The Fifth Avenue Association, which issued architectural awards to new buildings around Fifth Avenue in 1974, criticized the Solow Building as having "urban bad manners", even as it gave Chermayeff an award for his "9" sculpture and praised
428-433: A college education or higher. The percentage of Midtown Manhattan students excelling in math rose from 61% in 2000 to 80% in 2011 and reading achievement increased from 66% to 68% during the same time period. Midtown Manhattan's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is lower than the rest of New York City. In Midtown Manhattan, 19% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year , less than
535-509: A contract with Solow as the building's exclusive rental agent. After a jury trial in State Supreme Court, in 1973, Solow was ordered to pay commissions of $ 150,000 to Cushman & Wakefield and $ 1.7 million to Williams. Solow aggressively protected the building's trademark, suing Avon in 1975 for publishing promotional materials that referred to 9 West 57th Street as the "Avon Building". The case remained dormant for two decades but
642-441: A discount, space at 9 West 57th Street was being subleased at a premium. By contrast, aside from banking tenants, the commercial space at the ground level and basements sat largely empty through to the end of the 20th century. The below-ground space had been meant for antique and art dealers and a restaurant. One factor in the commercial space's lack of tenants was the fact that the ground-level storefronts were placed too far behind
749-516: A dislodged crane hurt five workers, and two electricians died after falling down an elevator shaft. The building topped out in June 1971. Anne Healy designed a pair of seven-story-tall arrowheads for the topping-out event. Though 9 West 57th Street was completed when large numbers of companies were leaving New York City, Solow was not worried about the trend. Avon's offices had opened in August 1972 on
856-399: A fountain". During the 1970s, the Solow Building was nicknamed the " bell bottom building" because of its shape. Architect Wallace Harrison also expressed his support for sloped buildings like the Solow Building, saying that the slope "gives a smooth line that appears to give added height by disappearing perspective". Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of
963-471: A large amount of criticism for its design. A New York Times critic wrote in 1972, "a complaint voiced more frequently that the curved design of 9 West 57th Street has little relationship to the erect walls of its neighbors". Ada Louise Huxtable wrote for the same newspaper: "One can only pity one half of the Hotel Plaza's guests facing that 58th Street black glass wall". Arthur Drexler, in a foreword to
1070-515: A low population of residents who are uninsured . In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 11%, slightly less than the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of fine particulate matter , the deadliest type of air pollutant , in Midtown Manhattan is 0.0113 milligrams per cubic metre (1.13 × 10 oz/cu ft), more than the city average. Eleven percent of Midtown Manhattan residents are smokers , which
1177-419: A lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 81.2% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 8 murders, 23 rapes, 653 robberies, 502 felony assaults, 660 burglaries, 2,375 grand larcenies, and 68 grand larcenies auto in 2022. The main part of midtown Manhattan, between 34th and 59th Streets from Lexington Avenue to Eighth Avenue, is served by five fire stations of
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#17327651203891284-600: A major force in Midtown Manhattan's economy, and indeed the city's, as the total value of all New York City property was estimated at US$ 914.8 billion for the 2015 fiscal year . Manhattan has perennially been home to some of the nation's, as well as one of the world's, most marketable real estate, including the Time Warner Center , which had the highest-listed market value in the city in 2006 at US$ 1.1 billion, to be subsequently surpassed in October 2014 by
1391-560: A major impact on urban development in both the United States and internationally. Architectural delineator Hugh Ferriss popularized these new regulations in 1922 through a series of massing studies, clearly depicting the possible forms and how to maximize building volumes. "By the end of the 1920s the setback skyscraper, originally built in response to a New York zoning code, became a style that caught on from Chicago to Shanghai," observe Eric Peter Nash and Norman McGrath, discussing
1498-588: A number of private languages and music centers (e.g. Berlitz , American Language Communication Center, New York Language Center, Swan Music School, and the New York Youth Symphony ). The La Scuola d'Italia Guglielmo Marconi Italian international school moved to West Midtown in 2016. The New York Public Library (NYPL) operates the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (also the Main Branch),
1605-966: A program aimed at creating "a 24/7, live-work, mixed-use neighborhood" in Midtown South though the conversion of commercial and office space to residential, as part of an effort to create 20,000 new residences citywide in a decade. According to The Broadway League , shows on Broadway sold approximately US$ 1.54 billion worth of tickets in both the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 seasons. Both seasons featured theater attendance of approximately 12.3 million each. Companies that used to have their headquarters in Midtown Manhattan include American Airlines , American Comics Group , American Overseas Airlines , Central Park Media , Eastern Air Lines , GoodTimes Entertainment , LJN , NewKidCo , Pan American World Airways , Philip Morris Companies (now Altria Group ), Trans Caribbean Airways , and Trans World Airlines . In 1997, Aer Lingus announced that it
1712-500: A rectangular layout around a service core in the center, which contains the building's elevators and stairs. The upper stories are served by 24 elevators, which are divided into elevator banks serving different groups of floors. Above the 23rd story, the north facade has a direct view of Central Park. Overall, the tower has a gross floor area of about 1,400,000 square feet (130,064 m), with 33 elevators in total. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) had acquired
1819-679: A reference branch at 476 Fifth Avenue. The four-story building, constructed in 1911, is known worldwide for its architecture and has several million items in its collections. There are also five circulating branches in Midtown: Two campuses of the City University of New York (CUNY)—the doctorate-granting CUNY Graduate Center and the Stella and Charles Guttman Community College —are located in Midtown, while Baruch College , also of
1926-414: A third of which was leased by Avon. By that April, Avon had increased its space to 700,000 square feet (65,000 m) across 25 floors. A corrugated 280-by-10-foot (85.3 by 3.0 m) sign was erected in front of the construction site. It was designed so it read "Solow Building Company" from one angle and "9 W 57" from another. By that October, the steelwork had reached the eighth floor. During construction,
2033-498: A year due to a dispute over where it should be placed. He ultimately agreed to install the sculpture on the sidewalk, initially paying the city $ 1,000 annually in rent. By the 1990s, the sculpture was described in The New York Times as "a cultural artifact as well as the building's signature". The 58th Street side of the plaza contains Moonbird , a sculpture by Joan Miró . The sculpture, originally commissioned in 1966,
2140-419: Is 14 feet (4.3 m) tall and made of bronze. Solow installed Moonbird in 1994, saying that "it is one of my very favorite sculptures"; he already had a print of the same work. Before Moonbird was installed, the 58th Street side of the plaza had a 12-foot (3.7 m) "mobile" by Alexander Calder . Solow removed the mobile after realizing the work could fall onto pedestrians in the wind. 9 West 57th Street
2247-471: Is 41% in Midtown Manhattan, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 45% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018 , Midtown Manhattan is considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying . Midtown Manhattan is patrolled by two precincts of the NYPD . Midtown North is patrolled by the 18th Precinct, located at 306 West 54th Street, while Midtown South
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#17327651203892354-421: Is a narrow window opening spanning several stories. The building's structural steel bracing crosses diagonally in front of these windows. The sections of the steel bracing in front of the windows are coated with black aluminum. The building has a setback of 36 feet (11 m) from 57th Street and 49 feet (15 m) from 58th Street. A plaza extends in front of the building on both 57th and 58th Streets. The plaza
2461-651: Is also growing in Midtown Manhattan based upon the city's strength in academic scientific research and public and commercial financial support. By mid-2014, Accelerator, a biotech investment firm, had raised more than US$ 30 million from investors , including Eli Lilly and Company , Pfizer , and Johnson & Johnson , for initial funding to create biotechnology startups at the Alexandria Center for Life Science, which encompasses more than 700,000 square feet (65,000 m ) on East 29th Street and promotes collaboration among scientists and entrepreneurs at
2568-407: Is clad in travertine and extends the width of the block from 57th to 58th Streets. A red sculpture of the digit "9" on the 57th Street side of the building was designed by Ivan Chermayeff . The sculpture weighs 6 short tons (5.4 long tons; 5.4 t) and measures about 10 feet (3.0 m) high by 5 feet (1.5 m) wide. It faces east toward Fifth Avenue and is supported by a three-story column in
2675-491: Is clad with marble. During the Solow Building's construction, Bunshaft had said that marble "is beautiful, it weathers beautifully and it expresses structure in design". Because Solow wanted to maintain an "exclusive aura", he banned tenants from using phones in the lobby. The 58th Street side of the lobby has a newsstand and a retail area. The first floor also houses Solow's private art gallery, including works by Franz Kline , Henri Matisse , and Alberto Giacometti . The gallery
2782-702: Is commonly defined to be 59th Street ; its southern boundary is less clear, and variously taken to be 34th Street , 23rd Street , or even 14th Street . Midtown spans the entire island of Manhattan along an east–west axis, bounded by the East River on its east and the Hudson River to its west. The Encyclopedia of New York City defines Midtown as extending from 34th Street to 59th Street and from 3rd Avenue to 8th Avenue. In addition to its central business district , Midtown Manhattan encompasses many neighborhoods, including Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea on
2889-554: Is considered to be the busiest transportation hub in the Western Hemisphere , servicing around 650,000 people per day. The Port Authority Bus Terminal , located at Eighth Avenue and 41st Street at the western edge of Midtown, is the city's main intercity bus terminal and the world's busiest bus station, serving 250,000 passengers on 7,000 buses each workday. The building opened in 1950 and had been designed to accommodate 60,000 daily passengers. A 2021 plan announced by
2996-496: Is distinguished by curved facades on its northern and southern elevations , which taper at higher stories. 9 West 57th Street was the first major structure in New York City to be developed with a sloped facade. The north and south facades curve inward from ground level to the 18th floor, where it rises upward to the 50th story. The building is 64 feet (20 m) narrower at the 18th floor than at ground level. The massing
3103-727: Is higher than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 86% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", more than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Midtown Manhattan, there are 11 bodegas . The nearest major hospitals are Mount Sinai West in Hell's Kitchen ; Beth Israel Medical Center in Stuyvesant Town ; the Bellevue Hospital Center and NYU Langone Medical Center in Kips Bay ; and NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital in
3210-505: Is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are adults: a plurality (45%) are between the ages of 25 and 44, while 22% are between 45 and 64, and 13% are 65 or older. The ratio of youth and college-aged residents was lower, at 7% and 12% respectively. As of 2017, the median household income in Community Districts 4 and 5 (including Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen )
3317-470: Is less than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 297 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole. The 18th Precinct has a lower crime rate than it did in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 82.1% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 1 murder, 22 rapes, 154 robberies, 185 felony assaults, 205 burglaries, 2,065 grand larcenies, and 116 grand larcenies auto in 2022. The 14th Precinct also has
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3424-407: Is less than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Midtown Manhattan, 10% of residents are obese , 5% are diabetic , and 18% have high blood pressure —compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively. In addition, 9% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. Ninety-one percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which
3531-496: Is located at 421 8th Avenue. The post office stopped 24-hour service in 2009 due to decreasing mail traffic. Midtown Manhattan generally has a higher rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018 . A majority of residents age 25 and older (78%) have a college education or higher, while 6% have less than a high school education and 17% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 64% of Manhattan residents and 43% of city residents have
3638-941: Is located in Midtown Manhattan. Haier operates its United States offices in the Haier Building at 1356 Broadway, formerly the headquarters of the Greenwich Savings Bank . Haier held the opening ceremony on March 4, 2002. Sumitomo Corporation operates its New York Office, the headquarters of the corporation's United States operations, at 600 Third Avenue, 10016 in the Murray Hill neighborhood. El Al 's North American headquarters are in Midtown. The Air France USA regional headquarters are in 125 West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Hachette Book Group USA has its headquarters in 237 Park Avenue . In 1994 Alitalia considered moving its USA headquarters from Midtown to Lower Manhattan , but decided to keep
3745-487: Is managed under the non-profit Solow Art and Architecture Foundation, which receives tax exemptions from being nominally open to the public. However, the gallery is perpetually closed, even to tenants. Some of the artwork was visible from the street despite being inaccessible. This prompted criticism and the creation of a parody website describing the gallery's operating hours as "Monday, inaccessible; Tuesday, closed; Wednesday, no public hours; Thursday, not open; Friday, same as
3852-1277: Is one of the world's leading financial centers. Midtown Manhattan is the one of the world's largest central business district , with 400 million square feet (37.2 million m ) of office space in 2018. Midtown contains the headquarters of major companies, including 4Kids Entertainment (formerly), Barnes & Noble , Bloomberg L.P. , Ernst & Young , Calvin Klein , Cantor Fitzgerald , CBS Corporation , Citigroup , Colgate-Palmolive , Cushman & Wakefield , DC Comics , Deloitte , Duane Reade , Estée Lauder Companies , Foot Locker , Frederator Studios , JPMorgan Chase , Hess Corporation , Kroll Inc. , L-3 Communications , Marsh & McLennan Companies , Marvel Entertainment , MetLife , MidOcean Partners , Morgan Stanley , Nasdaq, Inc. , NBCUniversal , The New York Times Company , NexCen Brands , Paramount Global , Pfizer , Polo Ralph Lauren , Saks Incorporated ( Saks Fifth Avenue ), The Sharper Image , Simon & Schuster , Six Flags , TBWA Worldwide , Thomson Reuters , Warner Bros. Discovery , Time Warner Cable , The Travelers Companies , and Univision Communications . The New York Institute of Finance
3959-490: Is part of 10001. Other areas between 14th and 34th Streets are covered by ZIP Codes 10003, 10009, 10010, and 10011, though these are generally not considered to be part of Midtown proper. There are also thirty-three ZIP Codes assigned to individual buildings or building complexes. The United States Postal Service operates six post offices in Midtown: The James A. Farley Station , the city's main post office,
4066-430: Is patrolled by the 14th Precinct, located at 357 West 35th Street. The precincts ranked 69th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. The high per-capita crime rate can be attributed to the low population of the area, as well as the high number of crimes committed against tourists. As of 2018 , with a non-fatal assault rate of 25 per 100,000 people, Midtown Manhattan's rate of violent crimes per capita
4173-517: Is similar to the W.R. Grace Building , completed around the same time; the initial, rejected design of the Solow Building was used for the Grace Building. The sloped design came from an early concept in which the elevators were placed outside the main structural core, though this idea was not feasible. Bunshaft instead decided to use curved facades on the north and south elevations, avoiding the need for rectangular setbacks . One author compared
4280-452: Is structurally supported by columns above the public plaza, creating the appearance of an arcade . Storefronts on either side were originally planned. Two basement shopping levels were originally connected to the plaza by a pairs of escalators on both 57th and 58th Street. The retail space, covering 45,000 square feet (4,200 m), remained empty for thirty years after the building's completion. Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates then designed
4387-409: Is the busiest transportation hub in the Western Hemisphere . Midtown Manhattan is the largest central business district in the world, and has been ranked as the densest central business district in the world in terms of employees, at 606,108 per square mile (234,020/km ). Midtown also ranks among the world's most expensive locations for real estate; Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan has commanded
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4494-679: The General Motors Building to the northeast, the Bergdorf Goodman Building and Paris Theater to the east, and the Crown Building and 17 West 56th Street to the south. The surrounding stretch of 57th Street was part of an artistic hub during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The southern part of the site was occupied by the Pace Gallery , which operated there from 1963 to 1968. On
4601-651: The Ladies' Mile , along Fifth Avenue from 14th to 23rd Street; and the Tenderloin , from 23rd to 42nd Street and from Fifth Avenue to Seventh Avenue . Important streets and thoroughfares The border of Midtown Manhattan is nebulous and further confused by the fact that the term "Midtown Manhattan" can be used to refer either to a district or a group of neighborhoods and districts in Manhattan: Midtown Manhattan, along with Lower Manhattan ,
4708-558: The Lionel Corporation on the 41st floor; Sony Corporation of America on the 42nd and 43rd floors; and Chanel on the 44th floor. In its early years, the building attracted tenants such as Elf Aquitaine , the Commercial Bank of Australia , and Deutsche Bank . After its completion, 9 West 57th Street became one of New York City's most prestigious office buildings. By the late 1980s, the Solow Building, along with
4815-512: The Morgan Guaranty Trust Company , the mezzanine was installed because Morgan Guaranty wanted to keep its investment managers and research specialists near each other. The mezzanine hangs from the ceiling using metal alloy bars. The second floor and mezzanine is still marketed as a trading floor as of 2021. The fourth floor contains a two-story mechanical space, which is hidden on the exterior. The typical upper story has
4922-575: The New York City Fire Department (FDNY): The greater Midtown area between 14th Street and 59th Street contains seven additional fire stations. As of 2018 , preterm births and births to teenage mothers in Midtown Manhattan are lower than the city average. In Midtown Manhattan, there were 67 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 4 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Midtown Manhattan has
5029-863: The New York City borough of Manhattan , serving as the city's primary central business district . Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building , the Chrysler Building , the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project , the headquarters of the United Nations , Grand Central Terminal , and Rockefeller Center , as well as several prominent tourist destinations, including Broadway , Times Square , and Koreatown . Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan
5136-560: The Upper East Side . Midtown Manhattan is located within six primary ZIP Codes . West of Fifth Avenue, Midtown is located in 10018 between 34th and 41st Streets, 10036 between 41st and 48th Streets, and 10019 between 48th and 59th Streets. East of Fifth Avenue, Midtown is located in 10016 between 34th and 40th Streets, 10017 between 40th and 49th Streets, and 10022 between 49th and 59th Streets. The area southwest of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, sometimes considered to be in Midtown,
5243-660: The Waldorf Astoria New York , which became the most expensive hotel ever sold after being purchased by the Anbang Insurance Group, based in China, for US$ 1.95 billion . In the same year, six of the top ten most expensive zip codes in the United States by median housing price were located in Manhattan, underscoring the borough's dominant position in the real estate market. When 450 Park Avenue
5350-551: The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building , which rose in isolation in Brooklyn , where no such zoning dictated form. The tiered Art Deco skyscrapers of the 1920s and 1930s are a direct result of this resolution. By the mid-century most new International Style buildings had met the setback requirements by adopting the use of plazas or low-rise buildings surrounding a monolithic tower centered on
5457-506: The 9th to 34th floors. Another major lessee in the building was Morgan Guaranty (later J.P. Morgan & Co. ), which rented 250,000 square feet (23,000 m) of office space in August 1973, occupying the 2nd floor and the 6th to 11th stories. The building was more than 80 percent occupied at that point. Other original tenants included the U.S. Shoe Corporation on the 40th floor; the National Shipping and Trading Corporation and
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#17327651203895564-457: The Brasserie 8 1/2 restaurant in the space, which opened in 2000. The 230-seat restaurant covers 13,000 square feet (1,200 m) and is accessed by a stair inside a 275-square-foot (25.5 m) cylindrical entrance from the lobby. The basement also has a parking garage. The lobby was designed to extend the entire block between 57th and 58th Streets, with glass walls on either side. The lobby
5671-693: The City University of New York, is located in Midtown South. Mercy College is situated at Herald Square . Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Terminal are the two major railroad stations located in Midtown Manhattan. Penn Station serves Amtrak , NJ Transit , and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), while Grand Central serves the Metro-North Railroad and also serves the LIRR at Grand Central Madison . Penn Station
5778-580: The General Motors Building and the Seagram Building , charged some of the city's highest rents. In spite of the fact that architects considered neither the General Motors Building nor the Solow Building to be architecturally distinguished, their proximity to Central Park allowed their respective owners to charge high rents. During the mid-1990s, when tenants at other office buildings in New York City were subleasing their space at
5885-528: The LDS site, ultimately assembling a 54,000-square-foot (5,000 m) site between 57th and 58th Streets. While Solow could not outright buy 4 West 58th Street, he acquired a leasehold on the building, as well as air rights that allowed an increase in the size of his proposed skyscraper. Bergdorf Goodman 's president Andrew Goodman refused to sell the store building or its air rights to Solow. In August 1968, Solow announced that he had hired Gordon Bunshaft to design
5992-399: The Midtown buildings charging high rents. This was part of a trend in which buildings typically occupied by hedge funds and investment firms charged higher rents. The same year, Solow refinanced the building with a $ 1.2 billion mortgage from JPMorgan Chase. The loan was used to pay back the older CMBS loan from Deutsche Bank. A July 2016 appraisal valued the building at over $ 3.4 billion, making
6099-626: The Port Authority would spend $ 10 billion to expand capacity and modernize the facility. The New York City Subway and MTA Regional Bus Operations each operate several routes that go through Midtown. Additionally, the PATH train to New Jersey terminates at 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue in Midtown. Traffic congestion is common, especially for crosstown traffic. In 2011, a new system of traffic light control, known as "Midtown in Motion"
6206-495: The Solow Building was higher than that at Rockefeller Center, and even though Solow did not plan to allow Avon to formally name the building after itself. Demolition on the site had begun in early 1969 when Solow acquired the lots at 30–34 West 58th Street, creating a continuous site for his development. As a result, the proposed building was redesigned yet again. In early 1970, Solow announced that his 50-story office building would contain 1.5 million square feet (140,000 m),
6313-456: The Solow Building's second floor and mezzanine, which had originally been designed as Morgan Guaranty's trading floor. Though the trading floor was able to fit 300 people, Solow had refused to make alterations to allow the bank to add 200 traders. After Bank of America moved to the Bank of America Tower in 2008, about half the building was empty for two years. By 2010, the top three floors were among
6420-545: The United Nations, and consulates-general accredited to the United States, in Midtown Manhattan. In addition, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) is in Midtown Manhattan. 1961 Zoning Resolution The 1916 Zoning Resolution in New York City was the first citywide zoning code in the United States . The zoning resolution reflected both borough and local interests, and
6527-433: The United States achieved completion in Midtown Manhattan, at a selling price of US$ 238 million, for a 24,000 square feet (2,200 m ) penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park at 220 Central Park South . The COVID-19 pandemic and hybrid work models have prompted consideration of commercial-to-residential conversion within the neighborhood's real estate sector. In August 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced
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#17327651203896634-666: The West Side, and Murray Hill , Kips Bay , Turtle Bay , and Gramercy Park on the East Side. It is sometimes broken into "Midtown East" and "Midtown West", or north and south as in the New York City Police Department 's Midtown North and Midtown South precincts. Neighborhoods in the Midtown area include the following: Midtown is the original district in the United States to bear the name and included historical but now defunct neighborhoods such as
6741-450: The bank if one of the bank's former brokers was convicted of securities fraud, under a law that was normally used for evicting drug dealers and prostitutes. When the building's plans were announced, Progressive Architecture derided the proposal as a literal "block-buster", saying that it "guarantees to obliterate the scale and the street activity" of the art and retail district on 57th Street. Upon its completion, 9 West 57th Street received
6848-412: The basement. The sculpture was installed because Solow thought the plaza as designed was excessively large, and also because Solow wanted to draw attention away from the bare walls of other nearby buildings. The idea for the sculpture had come after Chermayeff had joked that the facade could be a "launching pad" for the "9". After the sculpture was first installed in 1972, Solow had removed the sculpture for
6955-507: The brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway Theater District , is a major center of the world's entertainment industry. Sixth Avenue also has the headquarters of three of the four major U.S. television networks . Midtown is part of Manhattan Community District 5 . It is patrolled by the 14th and 18th precincts of the New York City Police Department . Geographically, the northern boundary of Midtown Manhattan
7062-401: The building as having 49 stories. Weidlinger Associates was the structural engineer and Code Consultants Inc. was the code consultant. According to Solow, the building was designed to have "magnificent views" and areas for workers to relax because "such surroundings attract and keep good workers to such a degree that corporate tenants are willing to pay premium rents to get them". The building
7169-461: The building's design details. Some of the criticism was directed toward the curved form in general. Paul Goldberger said that the Solow and Grace buildings both failed to "make certain gestures toward what exists around them". Jaquelin T. Robertson , the head of New York City's Office of Midtown Planning, likewise expressed his opposition to sloped structures, particularly those that were located in
7276-424: The building's high occupancy rate to its central location, as well as the fact that Soloviev was more involved with his tenants than his father had been. After 9 West 57th Street opened, many financial firms took space there, and the building became associated with finance. Companies with offices there included hedge funds and private equity organizations. One early tenant, shoe company Nine West , named itself after
7383-463: The building's site in the 1960s from numerous owners, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , which had originally planned its own skyscraper at the site. Construction of the Solow Building commenced in 1969, and Avon Products took up a third of the space, becoming the major tenant. Since opening, the Solow Building's office stories have been occupied for some of the highest rates in
7490-456: The building's vacant spaces. This was a much higher vacancy rate than the citywide average, despite the building's luxury reputation and the ongoing Great Recession . The vacancies were in part because Solow asked much higher rates per square foot compared to nearby buildings, and he was obstinate in not charging lower rents. According to The New York Times , he asked one potential tenant $ 200 per square foot ($ 2,200/m), but he became "furious" when
7597-598: The building, which was the company's first location. As of 2024, law firms and hedge funds continue to occupy much of the space, including: The corporate offices of Avis Budget Group (37th floor) are also located in the building. Sheldon Solow filed over 200 lawsuits during his lifetime, including several involving the Solow Building. The first such lawsuit involving the building was prompted when Solow refused to pay both Avon's broker and 9 West 57th Street's rental agent. Avon's broker Williams Real Estate sought its promised commission, as did Cushman & Wakefield , which held
7704-506: The building. Despite the departures, new tenants at the Solow Building continued to sign leases at premium rates. Concurrently, Solow had hired Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer to redesign the unused retail space in the basement. Two of the escalators were removed to make way for the entrance to the Brasserie 8 1/2 restaurant. The restaurant opened in 2000. Solow sought a $ 400 million loan for the building in February 2002, and Dresdner Bank gave him
7811-401: The center and with nearby academic, medical, and research institutions. The New York City Economic Development Corporation 's Early Stage Life Sciences Funding Initiative and venture capital partners, including Celgene , General Electric Ventures, and Eli Lilly, committed a minimum of US$ 100 million to help launch 15 to 20 ventures in life sciences and biotechnology. Real estate is
7918-501: The city's most expensive buildings. The top floors of the building were being marketed at $ 175 per square foot ($ 1,880/m) per year, while the average annual rent for "premium" Midtown office space was $ 85 per square foot ($ 910/m) per year. Nearby buildings such as 712 Fifth Avenue , the Carnegie Hall Tower , the General Motors Building, and 888 Seventh Avenue also had high asking rates. Bank of America had taken space on
8025-480: The city, being rented largely to law and financial firms. The lower stories were less successful; the basement was unused until 2000, when Brasserie 8 1/2 opened there. During his lifetime, Solow was obstinate about several aspects of the building's operation, and he was involved in several lawsuits against tenants. The Solow Building is at 9 West 57th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City , just south of Central Park , between Fifth Avenue to
8132-411: The citywide average of 20%. Additionally, 92% of high school students in Midtown Manhattan graduate on time, more than the citywide average of 75%. There are no public elementary or middle schools in Midtown. The New York City Department of Education operates the following public high schools in Midtown, serving grades 9–12: Private schools include The Beekman School , Rebecca School , and
8239-556: The curves to the face of a ski slope . The north and south walls are made of gray-tinted glass. Immediately above the ground level, the north and south elevations end in a large gutter, which collects rainwater. Custom rails were installed on the facade for the window-washing scaffolds. The glass panels consist of windows as well as spandrels in between stories. The panels are attached to the superstructure by black gaskets made of neoprene . The western and eastern facades are clad in tan bands of travertine limestone. On either side
8346-493: The east and Sixth Avenue to the west. It contains frontage on 57th Street to the south and 58th Street to the north. The Solow Building's site covers 62,058 square feet (5,765.4 m). It measures 268 feet (82 m) along 57th Street, with a depth of 200.83 feet (61.21 m) between 57th and 58th Streets. The Solow Building is near the Park Lane Hotel and the Plaza Hotel to the north, Grand Army Plaza and
8453-424: The east and west. By the end of that year, the building was increased to 47 stories and 1.1 million square feet (100,000 m). The LDS Church withdrew from the project due to a dispute over mortgage. Cosmetics company Avon Products decided to lease 20 stories in June 1969 and finalized the decision that November. In doing so, Avon abruptly canceled plans to relocate to Rockefeller Center , even though rent at
8560-483: The elevators between the lobby and 27th floor simultaneously failed. The same year, two tenants signed large leases, and Solow refinanced the building with a $ 625 million commercial mortgage-backed security (CMBS) loan from Deutsche Bank . Within two years, rental rates at the Solow Building were among the highest in Manhattan. By 2016, the building was 64 percent occupied by 26 companies. The Solow Building, along with 520 Madison Avenue and 65 East 55th Street, were among
8667-540: The first high-rise office developments to be built on West 57th Street following the 1961 Zoning Resolution . 9 West 57th Street was designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) and developed by Sheldon Solow . It was built by the Diesel Construction Company. When constructed, the building was also referred to as "9 West" and "Tower 9". The building is 689 ft (210 m) tall, with 50 stories, although some sources cite
8774-452: The judge ruled against Solow, finding that JPMorgan had indeed tried to restore its space but that Solow had "substantially interfered" with JPMorgan's ability to do so. Solow sued W. R. Grace Company in 1999 for spraying asbestos on the building in the early 1970s, despite marketing the asbestos as a safe product. In addition, Solow and Bank of America had multiple legal disputes during the 2000s. In one such dispute, Solow had planned to evict
8881-487: The loan that July. The Solow Building was still considered a desirable location into the 21st century, in part because of its Central Park views. When Solow refinanced the building in 2002, the building was 80 percent occupied and was estimated to earn $ 90 million a year in net operating income. In an unofficial listing of New York City skyscrapers in 2007, the New York Observer listed the Solow Building as one of
8988-447: The lots at 10–20 West 58th Street in 1962, with plans to build a skyscraper of between 30 and 40 stories. The LDS Church planned to rent some of the building's space as offices. The church had also acquired a site at 11 West 57th Street. Sheldon Solow started acquiring parcels on 57th and 58th Streets in 1965, hiring several brokers to avoid raising suspicion that he was assembling a large lot. Solow ended up acquiring 17 parcels, including
9095-499: The middle of the block, as the Solow and Grace buildings both were. Architect Henry N. Cobb also described such buildings as having "a very strong, hostile, and aggressive visual impact". Upon Bunshaft's 1990 death, The New York Times wrote that the building was "cited by a civic group as a negative example of New York City architecture". Herbert Muschamp believed the traditional philosophy of form following function did not work for buildings like 9 West 57th Street, writing: "If this
9202-510: The neighborhood was 64.1% (18,351) White , 4.6% (1,310) African American , 0.1% (34) Native American , 20.8% (5,942) Asian , 0% (8) Pacific Islander , 0.3% (92) from other races , and 2% (569) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 8.1% (2,324) of the population. The entirety of Community District 5, which comprises Midtown Manhattan, had 53,120 inhabitants as of NYC Health 's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 84.8 years. This
9309-422: The newly constituted Soloviev Group took over operation of 9 West 57th Street. Soloviev added two swimming pools, several conference rooms, and a fitness center. Another restaurant, Cucina 8 1/2, replaced the old Brasserie restaurant in the basement in late 2021. By mid-2023, the building was 90 percent occupied, amid a general decline in office-building occupancy rates across New York City. The Real Deal attributed
9416-561: The northern part of the site was a 14-story building at 4 West 58th Street, containing the Paris Theater . The Solow Building also replaced a six-story loft building on 26 West 58th Street that had housed the office of modernist architect Paul Rudolph . The rest of the site was largely composed of low-rise commercial and apartment buildings. The Solow Building, as well as the Squibb Building at 40 West 57th Street , were among
9523-720: The offices where they were at the last minute. Global Infrastructure Partners has an office in Midtown Manhattan. Silicon Alley , the common metonym for New York City's high tech sector, is based in Midtown South , specifically the Flatiron District . Prominent Silicon Alley companies in Midtown include AppNexus , Blue Apron , Gilt , Betterment , Oscar , SoFi , Rent the Runway , Warby Parker , and WeWork . The technology sector has been expanding across Midtown Manhattan since 2010. The biotechnology sector
9630-510: The property one of the most valuable office buildings in Manhattan. Solow finally decided on lowering rental rates for some vacant space in late 2017 after several large tenants such as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts , Providence Equity , and Silver Lake left the building. By 2018, the building had a 70 percent occupancy rate; Solow's son, Stefan Soloviev , attributed the increased occupancy rate to his own actions. Following Sheldon Solow's death in 2020, Soloviev reorganized his late father's firm, and
9737-509: The ratio that was imposed to the site where the building is located. Another feature of new zoning solution was adjacent public open space. If developers put adjacent public open space to their buildings, they could get additional area for their building as a bonus. This incentive bonus rule was created because of the strong influence from two representative skyscrapers. The Seagram Building by Mies van der Rohe with Philip Johnson , and Lever House by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill , introduced
9844-427: The rest of the week; Saturday, none; Sunday, absolutely not". After Solow's death in late 2020, his widow Mia Fonssagrives-Solow announced she would open his art collection to the public. The second floor was designed with a 26-foot (7.9 m) ceiling, although a 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m) mezzanine above the second floor was erected during the Solow Building's construction. Designed by Bernard M. Deschler for
9951-524: The site. This approach was often criticized. The New York City Department of City Planning passed the 1961 Zoning Resolution in October 1960, and the new zoning rules became effective in December 1961, superseding the 1916 Zoning Resolution. The new zoning solution used the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) regulation instead of setback rules. A building's maximum floor area is regulated according to
10058-543: The street. Solow was also reluctant to actually rent the space, as he claimed he needed the right tenant. The first "right" tenant was Deutsche Bank, which opened a ground-floor banking space in 1979, about five years after the building was finished. The building's 60,000 square feet (5,600 m) of underground retail space had not seen a single tenant a decade later. The late 1990s saw several high-profile departures, including those of Sony and J.P. Morgan & Co. Avon reportedly tried to buy 9 West 57th Street, but after Solow
10165-473: The tenant leased space at the General Motors Building at $ 130 per square foot ($ 1,400/m). In another case, financial services firm Natixis already occupied space on upper floors and wanted to rent the trading floor, but the firm reneged on its offer because Solow would not allow Natixis to expand the trading floor. Though Solow was able to attract additional tenants over the next year, the building continued to face problems, including in 2011, when all but one of
10272-539: The west and east facades are clad in travertine . The design was largely criticized upon the building's completion, with many architectural critics regarding the building as a disruptive presence on the skyline. There is a travertine plaza at ground level, with a red sculpture of the digit "9" on the 57th Street side. The first floor contains a private art collection and the basement includes the Brasserie 8 1/2 restaurant. The building contains about 1.5 million square feet (140,000 m) of rentable space. Solow acquired
10379-509: The world's highest retail rents and is the most expensive shopping street in the world. Midtown Manhattan is the country's largest commercial, entertainment , and media center, and is also a growing financial and fintech center. Many of New York City's skyscrapers , including its tallest hotels and apartment towers , are located in Midtown Manhattan. The neighborhood hosts commuters and residents working in its offices, hotels, and retail establishments, tourists and students. Times Square,
10486-403: Was $ 101,981, though the median income in Midtown individually was $ 120,854. In 2018, an estimated 11% of Midtown Manhattan residents lived in poverty, compared to 14% in all of Manhattan and 20% in all of New York City. One in twenty residents (5%) were unemployed, compared to 7% in Manhattan and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent,
10593-426: Was adopted primarily to stop massive buildings from preventing light and air from reaching the streets below. It also established limits in building massing at certain heights, usually interpreted as a series of setbacks and, while not imposing height limits, restricted towers to 25% of the lot size. The chief authors of this resolution were George McAneny and Edward M. Bassett . The 1916 Zoning Resolution had
10700-515: Was announced, with the aim of reducing traffic congestion. Approximately 750,000 vehicles enter Midtown Manhattan on a fall business day. According to the 2011 Traffic Data Report for New York State, 777,527 vehicles a day went through select toll facilities into Manhattan. The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division , First Department, is located at the Appellate Division Courthouse at 25th Street and Madison Avenue
10807-602: Was completed in 1900 by architect James Brown Lord , who used a third of the construction budget to decorate the building with statues and murals. The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration operates its New York office on the 22nd floor at 135 West 50th Street . Several countries, including Algeria , Argentina , The Bahamas , China , Costa Rica , Germany , Ireland , Israel , Jamaica , Japan , Luxembourg , Mexico , Morocco , Saudi Arabia , Singapore , South Africa , South Korea , United Kingdom , and Ukraine , have Permanent Missions accredited to
10914-408: Was developed by Sheldon Solow , who named the building after himself and continued to manage and own the building until his death in 2020. Since then, it has been owned by his son Stefan Soloviev . The Solow Building's north and south facades curve inward from ground level to the 18th floor, where the tower rises upward to the 50th story. The north and south walls are made of gray-tinted glass, while
11021-447: Was honest architecture, as the modern movement had defined it, then perhaps it was time buildings learned how to tell pretty lies." Not everyone disliked the design of the Solow Building; it was regarded largely positively by the public, which expressed interest in 9 West 57th Street's unusual shape. According to Drexler, "the immense curved glass wall is an exhilarating spectacle, not as architecture but as urban theater, as fascinating as
11128-523: Was moving its North American headquarters from Midtown to Melville , New York , in Suffolk County on Long Island . Based on data from the 2010 United States Census , the population of Midtown Manhattan was 28,630, a change of 2,823 (9.9%) from the 25,807 counted in 2000 . Covering an area of 692.81 acres (280.37 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 41.3 inhabitants per acre (26,400/sq mi; 10,200/km ). The racial makeup of
11235-437: Was revived in the late 1990s, finally being dismissed in 2006. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, several tenants were sued. Solow sued Avon in 1997, claiming it had failed to restore its offices in the building to their original condition. The case was settled out of court with a $ 6.2 million settlement. Solow, represented by David Boies , also sued JPMorgan Chase for not restoring its offices after moving out. In that case,
11342-408: Was sold on July 2, 2007, for US$ 510 million, about US$ 1,589 per square foot (US$ 17,104/m ), it broke the barely month-old record for an American office building of US$ 1,476 per square foot (US$ 15,887/m ) based on the sale of 660 Madison Avenue . In 2014, Manhattan was home to six of the top ten zip codes in the United States by median housing price. In 2019, the most expensive home sale ever in
11449-471: Was unwilling to sell, Avon moved out at the end of its lease in 1997. Prior to formally moving out, Avon subleased some of its space. Most of Avon's old space was occupied by Nationsbanc Montgomery Securities , which had been acquired by NationsBank and then merged with BankAmerica Corporation , parent company of Bank of America . Nationsbanc Montgomery had 350,000 square feet (33,000 m) in 9 West 57th Street by December 1998, more than any other tenant in
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